New play Yalda : Iranian Woman will be performed in Hull for the first time on February 23 and 24, 2015.

Theatre makers Roya Amiri and Dave Windass received an Arts Council England award to research and create the new full-length play.

The original piece of work, about a half-Iranian, half-British woman growing up in a northern city, is a one-woman show and will be performed by Amiri who is, herself, half-Iranian. The London-based actress grew up in Hull and Hedon.

Roya Amiri said: “From the start we intended to create a funny, energetic and hard-hitting picture of adolescence, womanhood and an exploration of the impact of diaspora on second-generations. Ultimately, this is a piece of work that will entertain and also make people think. There is an absence of work about the Iranian community and also about the generation that I am a part of.

“We feel very happy to be given the opportunity to tell this story. I feel that while things have improved vastly in recent years, it was difficult for many people of mixed-race to grow up in the north, and in places like Hull, in the 1980s. That story certainly hasn’t been told from an Iranian perspective so we’re delighted to be able to address that.”

Dave Windass, who has co-written the play, said: “Yalda is a really exciting project to be a part of and we are both delighted to be collaborating on what we feel is an important piece of theatre and one that we are both very passionate about.”

The ongoing development of the project will also involve workshops with community groups looking at contemporary themes, issues and storytelling techniques.

The performances in February are part of the play’s development stage, hence the low ticket price. However, this is a chance to see a new play at the beginning of its life and an opportunity for audiences, via post-show discussions at both performances, to influence the creative process.

Further performances of Yalda : Iranian Woman will take place in late 2015 and 2016.

In additional to Arts Council England Grants For Arts funding, this project is supported by Hull City Council, a private donation, Force-7 and Kardomah94.